The Arbor School
Good Al Quoz, Dubai · International / other
- KHDA rating
- Good
Good standards in most areas. The most common rating among Dubai schools. Ratings are from the last full inspection cycle (2023–24).
- Annual fees
- AED 38,000 to 72,000 a year
Varies by year group; confirm current fees with the school. 2026–27 fees are frozen by KHDA directive.
- Curriculum
- International / other
- Established
- Founded 2019
- School transport
- Bus service available
- Location
- Al Quoz, Dubai
District-level pin for Al Quoz — use the Google Maps link for the exact gate.
Link verified against a live domain, July 2026.
Check travel time from your location
Opens live directions in Google Maps — real traffic from your own address beats any published estimate. School-run traffic peaks roughly 7–8am; test your route at drop-off time.
In context
Its mid-range fee is about 169 per cent above the median for International / other schools in this guide (AED 20,451). It is one of 62 schools in this guide currently rated Good.
Worth comparing: The English College Dubai (AED 41,000 to 68,265 a year) — a lower-fee option in the same area.
These comparisons are computed from the verified data in this register, not editorial opinion.
What the inspectors said
Paraphrased from the last full DSIB inspection (2023–24 cycle) and its published record — read the complete report on the official KHDA directory.
Strengths the inspectors named:
- Good for three consecutive years (2021–22, 2022–23 and 2023–24), with personal development, curriculum quality and health and safety all rated Outstanding at Foundation Stage and Primary.
- Very high achievement in English, mathematics and science in Foundation and Primary, with curriculum design, governance and student behaviour all judged Very Good.
- Social responsibility and innovation skills rated Outstanding — and inspectors named students’ desire to promote ecological awareness and conservation as a defining strength.
- A genuinely distinctive philosophy: eco-literacy and environmental justice woven through lessons and spaces rather than bolted on, on a seven-acre campus with 81 classrooms.
- Inspectors also named the strong focus on wellbeing and the inclusive nature of the school, and the clarity of purpose driving every aspect of school life.
- The school charges below the KHDA-approved maximum across all year groups — for example FS1 at AED 49,500 against an approved ceiling of AED 57,456.
What they asked the school to improve:
- The report called for more consistent practice in the Secondary phase — the strengths sit clearly in the lower school.
- Arabic and Islamic subjects need improvement, the familiar ceiling in this market.
- The 2023–24 inspection predates the opening of the Sixth Form, so there is no inspected evidence on the senior phase and no exam track record yet.
- Enhanced SEND provision is charged separately under its own contract — ask precisely what falls inside the standard fee and what does not.
Inclusion (students of determination): Very Good — and staffed at a level few schools match. The Thrive department leads support for students of determination, English-language learners and gifted students, with a team of 20: a Head of Thrive, SEN coordinators, an Accomplished Learner Lead for gifted students, an English as an Additional Language Lead, further inclusion teachers and counsellors. Over 150 students, more than 10% of the roll, have additional learning needs including a small number with high-level requirements. Four guidance counsellors serve 1,229 students, care and support is Very Good across Foundation Stage, Primary and Secondary, and parents cite the inclusion provision as a main reason for choosing the school. Two things to clarify before applying: enhanced SEND provision, where a child’s level of need requires it, is charged separately under its own contract, and the school is still maturing its secondary phase. See the special educational needs guide for the questions to ask on a visit.
Inspector summaries are being added school by school as each report is read — 169 of 169 so far, dated per cycle, never invented. A school without a summary yet is unread, not unjudged.
Visit kit
Questions worth asking on a tour — tuned to this school’s rating and curriculum:
- Who leads inclusion here — and may we meet them before enrolling?
- How much staff turnover did you have last year, and why?
- What are actual class sizes this term — not the maximum?
- How and how often will I hear about my child’s progress?
Saved only on this device — never uploaded, never shared.
Special educational needs? Read the inclusion guide before you visit.
Other schools in Al Quoz
- GEMS Our Own English High School — Very Good, AED 9,000 to 16,000 a year
- GEMS Our Own Indian School — Very Good, AED 7,000 to 14,000 a year
- The English College Dubai — Very Good, AED 41,000 to 68,265 a year
- Safa British School — Very Good, AED 45,428 to 73,550 a year
Work at this school? Correct or update this record — verified corrections are made promptly and logged publicly.